Astral Lovers: At War With Fate
by raindroproses
Summary: Will Rikku ever get over losing him? Will she ever have to, or will fate throw her in another direction causing her to reevaluate everything she's ever believed in? Rated for future chapters. Auron x Rikku Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Auron, Rikku, or any of the other characters for that matter. All storyline similarities are credited fully to the creators of the game.

**Chapter 1**

It was a beautiful day on the Isle of Besaid... the sun was shining and not a cloud was in sight, a welcome change from the rainy days they'd just incurred. Rikku noted that during the spring the island saw more stormy nights than anything, much different from what she was used to back home to her dismay.

"Why did I let Yunie talk me into staying here?" she wondered aloud, strolling the sandy shores. Rikku gasped as she felt her toes dip into the cool water, her immediate instinct to jump back being halted by how good it felt to be in a place that was at least familiar to her.

She knew why she let Yuna talk her into staying in Besaid. She had nothing left to speak of... nothing to claim as her own. Her father had joined the Al-Bhed in their efforts to seek revenge on the Guado, and Home was nothing but a distant memory. Perhaps the worst loss of all was that of Sir Auron… or Auron, as she had become privileged enough to call him.

"If only we would have had more time…" the young girl whispered, pacing back and forth in the sand. "If only we would have had more time…"

"If only who would have had more time?" Tidus asked, sneaking up behind her in his usual Blitz garb. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, umm… nothing," she stammered, "nothing. I was just thinking… that's all. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry… Yuna was worried about you. She sent me out here to see if you were alright. So… uh… are you alright?"

Rikku nodded quickly, digging her toes nervously into the wet sand.

"Okay then… I'll be at Wakka's if you need me."

Turning around she watched Tidus walk away, all too familiar of what it felt like to be alone. Auron had left her that way… back turned without a second glance. She knew he hadn't meant for the departure to be harsh, but Rikku was known for being the emotional one when it came to things she felt strongly about. She felt strongly about Auron that much she knew for sure, stronger than she'd ever felt about anyone…. and whether or not he wanted to admit it, he had feelings for her too. It was the most difficult thing for the young girl to bear, knowing fate had dealt them the wrong cards from the beginning.

Wading out into shallow waters Rikku closed her eyes, tilting her head back and allowing the wind to gently blow her hair about as she remembered the last night they'd spent together. She swore she could almost feel his lips on the back of her neck, his stubble grazing her soft skin the way it always used to. Rikku felt a flush coming over her body as she jolted her eyes open to look behind her… but he wasn't there. Just like every day before this one, he wasn't there… she was still alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Auron, Rikku, or any of the other characters for that matter. All storyline similarities are credited fully to the creators of the game.

**Chapter 2**

Rikku sat in her room, staring up at the ceiling. It had since grown dark, and she had been trying to distract herself by counting the dots on the ceiling of the hut. Nights had never been this much of a problem for her… not until she'd lost him.

"I wonder if he's really out there somewhere…" she whispered, her mind drifting toward the Farplane. She had once said that she didn't believe in visiting people there; that she preferred to remember loved ones the way they were while they were alive. It was at that moment that Rikku wondered if her preconceived notions about the place were completely true these days.

Getting up off her bed, the young girl looked out the window to the moonlit waters beyond. Silently she wished that Auron had been able to see a Besaid sunset with her. Just then she allowed a laugh to emerge from the surface, the old Rikku beginning to show as she pictured Sir Auron trying to enjoy a moonlit night. "He would have done it for me," she thought. "He would have done anything for me."

"You're thinking about him again," Yuna said softly so as not to startle her.

Rikku nodded her head in a barely unnoticeable manner as her friend walked in. She knew Yuna had another lecture in mind for tonight, but she silently begged her not to share it.

"I'm sorry…" she murmured, wrapping her arms around the younger girl, pulling her close. "I'm so sorry… you must almost resent me these days…"

"Yunie, I'd never resent you… I'm fine, really I am!" Rikku managed her voice a bit below its usual tempo and pitch. "I'm happy for you and Tidus, and… well, maybe some day I'll have that too."

"Just try and get some sleep. I hate seeing you like this," she said, releasing her friend.

Yuna turned back and headed for the door, unsure of how she'd left things. There was one thing she wanted to say to Rikku… one thing that'd been burning in her mind… but she hadn't the heart until now.

"He thinks about you all the time…" she whispered, as she walked off.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Auron, Rikku, or any of the other characters for that matter. All storyline similarities are credited fully to the creators of the game.

**Chapter 3**

Rikku paced nervously, at war with her feelings once more. Why would Yuna say something like that when she knew how it'd affect her? Now she had to see him… just one more time. She would have to visit the Farplane.

Sitting on the bed, Rikku gathered up the necessary equipment for the trip and packed it away in her suitcase. Since her father left her the airship, she'd be in minimal danger when it came to fiends. With that in mind, she planned on leaving early tomorrow morning whether Yuna and Tidus would follow or not.

Rikku bounced out of bed exuberantly, ready to conquer a new day. "Yunie… Tidus! I'm going to Guadosalam!" she called, dragging her bags along behind her. The suitcase she'd packed the night before was almost as big as she was, full of unnecessary trinkets and clothing for a one night trip.

"You takin the whole island with you?" Wakka asked, a smile spread across his face. "How long you going to Guadosalam?"

"Just for the day… do you think I packed too much?" she asked sheepishly.

Wakka laughed. "Nah… you gonna need some help with those bags? Last thing I need you to do is throw your back out."

Without further resistance, Wakka lifted Rikku's bags onto the airship and made his way back to the huts to gather the others. With a little hesitation, everyone but Kimhari agreed that visiting Guadosalam would be a good idea… after all, they all had memories to relive and people to see.

"All aboard! Next stop, Guadosalam!" Rikku cheered, running up the bridge of the ship and sitting in the pilot's chair.

"May I ask why we're going to Guadosalam?" Lulu asked, tossing the question out for anyone who would answer.

"I don't suppose a tiny vacation would be in order, would it Yunie?" Rikku asked, her cheeks flushing red in embarrassment over the reason she'd chosen to leave so abruptly.

"I asked her to," Tidus chimed in. "I wanted to see my old man… at least one more time anyway. Funny how things change… When he was alive I tried my hardest to stay away from him."

Reaching over, Yuna grabbed Tidus' hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. That was what Rikku missed the most when she thought about it… it was those little things that Auron used to do that meant the world to her. Now they were nothing but memories.

"Yeah… memories I'm about to relive," she thought to herself nervously. She'd never been to the Farplane before, so she didn't know exactly what to expect. Could she communicate with him somehow? Would he be able to hear her cries? Would he still look like the Auron she remembered and loved so dearly? Rikku pondered all of these things in the deafening silence that had fallen over the group and she found herself beginning to tear up.

"Everybody hold on," she managed, her voice only marginally shaky "we're about to land."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Auron, Rikku, or any of the other characters for that matter. All storyline similarities are credited fully to the creators of the game.

**Chapter 4**

Upon entrance to Guadosalam, Rikku felt as though she had a thousand pyreflies flying around in her stomach. It had been her idea to come in the first place, so she felt kind of silly that she was so shook up over the visit.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea…" she thought to herself as she fought to place one foot in front of the other. "Maybe I should stay on the ship."

"Come on, Rikku!" Tidus yelled from up ahead. "Sir Auron's not going to wait forever, you know!"

Rikku blushed, her entire face betraying her intentions. "I'm not here to… well, you know! I'm not here to see _him_," she murmured unconvincingly.

"Uh huh… then why are you here?" he challenged.

"That's enough," Lulu chimed in. "She's been through enough."

Lulu was right… she _had_ been through enough over the past year. In the same year she managed to fall in love and have her heart skillfully ripped from her chest. As far as she was concerned, fate could go to hell. It'd dealt her so many troubles that she didn't know what to do with herself anymore. "I hope this solves everything," she thought. "Maybe seeing him one more time will help me move on…"

"It's okay, Tidus… I _am_ here to see him," Rikku admitted. "But that doesn't mean you get to start making goo-goo faces at me again just because of it!"

Tidus laughed as the group wandered up the steep slope up to the Farplane entrance. Rikku stopped just short of the place her and Auron had been the year previous. She couldn't believe he was gone… a whole year, and she still couldn't believe he was gone.

"Are you sure about this?" Yuna asked, her hand resting on the younger girl's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "You know you don't have to…"

"Yes I do," she said, mustering up enough courage to move on. "I have to do this… I _have_ to."

Yuna nodded slightly before taking Tidus' hand in hers as the group made their way into the giant spherical entrance to the Farplane.


End file.
